Nice One James
by A-gentlemans-agreement
Summary: A marauder era story following the adventures and romances of the time. They learn that happiness can be found even in the darkest of hours.


~ Long live the reckless and the brave, I don't think I want to be saved ~

Disclaimer - I own none of the characters, all credit goes to the one and only Mrs Rowling.

A/N - This is my first fanfiction so please be nice!

Harry Potter and Sirius Black fought, side by side, bright jets of light flying in all directions around them.

The department of mysteries was teeming with Death Eaters and Order of the Phoenix members, they duelled on the raised platform next to the ancient stone archway covered by a ragged black veil. Sirius was alive with adrenaline, the weeks of doing nothing and not being allowed to leave the house had made him feel pathetically unhelpful and had built up inside him and now with adrenaline of the fight and the blood pumping through his veins it felt like it was Harry and him against the rest of the world. Out of the corner of his eye, the tall, bespectacled, messy haired boy beside him looked almost identical to James. In a second of nostalgia Sirius remembered all the times he and his best friend had fought together; from petty duels at school against the Slytherins until when they joined the Order together, the inseparable duo united against Voldemort. It should have been perfect.

Bellatrix shot another curse at them, but Sirius deflected it easily, years of training and quick reflexes on his side. "Come on, you can do better than that!" He yelled, his characteristic roguish smile playing on his lips. He felt reckless and enthusiastic for the first time in a long time. Probably for the first time since the Halloween of 1981.

Bellatrix responded to his taunts with wilder and more powerful curses and spells, Sirius deflected and returned his own hexes with similar gusto.

"_Petrificus totalus" _Harry's spell hit one of the Death Eaters duelling behind Bellatrix. Sirius felt a swell of pride for his Godson, "Nice one James!" He told him.

He realised his mistake as soon as he'd said it, the overwhelming familiarity of the situation had got the better of him. There was no time to dwell however, Bellatrix was taking up most of his attention. He grinned again at her as infuriatingly as possible and raised his wand above his head for another jinx **"**Flipen-"

But before he could finish a pain stabbed him in the chest but the agony only lasted momentarily, an odd numb sensation was spreading through his body. A deafening roar was pulsing in his ears and he stumbled backwards in disorientation. Sirius looked down at his chest to try to comprehend what damage had been done and saw that wispy tendrils were snaking over his middle. The veil, he realised.

In a sudden moment of clarity Sirius was shaken by the revelation that his race between life and death was at that moment reaching the finish line.

His first thought was Harry. His godson had already lost so many loved ones and though Sirius believed he was a poor excuse for a guardian he was still not so naive to not realise the parentship he had brought to Harry's life. The selfless part of him wanted to stay for Harry.

Part of him embraced the coils that wound around his chest. They're icy grip a bitter refuge from the suffering in his life. He was an outcast and a hindrance. He had lost his best friend and nearly everyone that he had ever loved. Part of him would be thankful for this easy painless escape.

And yet, another part of him didn't want to die. Who knew what lay beyond the veil, and what the afterlife would bring. Or did the afterlife even exist? The unknown was daunting at the best of times but the unavoidable finality of the situation was terrifying. Sirius Black didn't want to die afraid.

Despite his preference on the circumstances however, he could not escape the inevitable. Sirius felt the pressure on his chest increase dramatically and he began to fall back into the archway. He heard Harry scream as he finally realised what was happening. Sirius wanted to tell him that everything was going to be okay, he was fine, not even scared any more. But when he opened his mouth to give his reassurance no sound came out, he tried breathe but only managed to inhale the surreal smokiness of whatever lay behind the veil.

Sirius' body arched gracefully back into the mist, his hair flying back and his eyes wide. He looked strangely youthful as he completed his swan dive into oblivion. Then without further ado, Sirius Black became another victim claimed by death.

Padfoot. A maurauder. A godfather. A friend. A criminal. Was no more.

We've begun the tale of Sirius Black's life when it ends. After all the good and bad decisions, the pranks, the heartbreaks and all the memories.

We've opened, one may say, at the close.

**So that was the** **first chapter! Hope it was okay, I'm going to be doing general Hogwarts life from now on, not just focusing on Sirius either.**

**Sirius' last words are only canonically correct if you refer to the films, in the books its "Is that the best you can do!" which are great last words but I wanted to base the story kind of on James and Sirius' friendship.**

**please follow/favourite/review! it would mean a lot**

**love**

**Emma **


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